OU Overcomes Downpour, East Carolina

NORMAN, Okla. In a contest dominated by the Sooners, the Oklahoma soccer team pulled out a 2-1 double-overtime victory over East Carolina Sunday afternoon at John Crain Field in Norman. Lauren MacIver's blast with 2:03 left in the final session was the game-winner and improved OU's season record to 5-1. It was the second overtime win for the Sooners this year. East Carolina fell to 1-5.

Oklahoma outshot the Pirates 34-9 overall and 25-5 after halftime. It also registered 12 corner kicks to ECU's three.

“It was the most opportunities that we've created in any of our games this year,” said OU head coach Randy Evans. “We just weren't quite sharp enough in our finishing, and some of it was East Carolina. They were very organized in the back so it was hard to create easy chances. But we created enough chances where we shouldn't have been in the situation we were.”

Box Score: OU 2, ECU 1 (2OT) | Updated 2005 Stats

East Carolina scored the first half's only goal when Melissa Penney's free kick from 30 yards out on the left side climbed over the outstretched hands of OU keeper Jennifer Nichols into the upper right corner of the net at the 37:39 mark.

The Sooners finally got on the board in the 68th minute. Junior Andrea Hurley weaved through several East Carolina defenders and found sophomore Tenesha Duncan who promptly sent the ball past Pirate goalkeeper Amber Campbell. It was Duncan's first goal of the year and the second of her career. The assist for Hurley was her third of the season.

Oklahoma had plenty of chances to end the game in regulation, including a point-blank shot by Savannah Scott that found Campbell's hands with less than a minute to play.

Several more opportunities went by the wayside in both overtimes before the Sooners finally iced the game in the 108th minute. In a flurry in front of the net, Lauren Harris' shot bounced off a defender. MacIver quickly chased down the ball and rocketed a shot off Campbell's hands into the upper left corner of the net. The goal was MacIver's third of the year and put her in a tie for sixth place on OU's career goals-scored list with 13. It was also her fourth career game-winning goal.

The teams played through rough weather conditions after regulation. A torrential downpour that lasted the majority of the overtime periods scattered fans but didn't affect the determination of players from either squad.

“Without a doubt, this is my most focused team, as far as not allowing distractions to affect what we're doing,” said Evans. “Last weekend at Iowa we had a three-and-a-half hour rain delay where we didn't think we were going to make our flight, but we went out and performed great. You don't hear anybody complain about anything. Everyone stays focused on what we're trying to accomplish.”

Nichols played the entire game in net and faced four East Carolina shots on goal. She made three saves while upping her season mark to 5-1. Campbell made saves on 12 Oklahoma shots, 11 after halftime.

Added Evans, “I was frustrated that we didn't score more with the opportunities that we created, but I'm thrilled with how well we played today. Six games in, we really haven't played poorly yet. That probably encourages me more than our 5-1 record does.”

The Sooners return to action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they play Tulsa in Norman in the Oklahoma Shootout.

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